These days, Princess Mette-Marit travels all around the world, wearing ball gowns and a jeweled crown (via Vogue Scandinavia). However, the princess' childhood in the 1970s was hardly a fairytale. From the outside, Mette-Marit's family seemed like the typical middle-class Norwegian unit. Raised by a journalist father, Sven Høiby, and a bank employee mother, Marit Tjessem, Mette-Marit didn't lack food or clothing. Nonetheless, in her book "Homeland & Other Stories" (via Norwegian outlet VG), Mette-Marit revealed that her family was not as picture-perfect as it appeared. "I grew up in a poster family for success," she wrote. "All of us who lived in the house knew it wasn't true, but that's how we looked."
Despite her family's relative financial stability, Mette-Marit suffered greatly as a child. According to the princess' own account, one reason for her struggle was the pressure of keeping a major family secret: her father's misuse of alcohol. In a 2014 press conference in the town of Snåsa, Princess Mette-Marit opened up about this challenge. "As a child, I always felt that I had something I had to hide because none of my friends knew my father was an alcoholic," she shared (via The Local). Nowadays, however, Mette-Marit is at peace with her past. As she wrote in "Homeland & Other Stories" (via VG), "Today I can say that I am happy to have that experience with me."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
